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Bailey pleased with outing, minus pitch to Profar

Homer Bailey chats with Hot Stove about his extension with the Reds, new manager Bryan Price and more

By A.J. Cassavell
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MLB.com |

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Reds starter Homer Bailey graded his outing Monday as a B-plus, but aside from one pitch it was certainly worthy of very high marks.

In the third inning, Bailey hung a 3-2 slider to Rangers second baseman Jurickson Profar that landed in the Texas bullpen. Otherwise, he struck out five, walked none and allowed one other run on a tough-luck double steal.

"I had that one pitch to Profar that he hit out," Bailey said. "It was 3-2, so I had to come with a lot of plate. It's probably not something we'd do during the season, but now's a good time to do those sort of things."

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Bailey's afternoon was his command. He was in the zone when he needed to be (39 of his 58 pitches were strikes), and he didn't walk a batter.

Bailey allowed a run in the bottom of the second inning when catcher Devin Mesoraco made a poor throw to second, making it impossible for second baseman Ramon Santiago to throw out the runner at the plate on a double steal.

But otherwise, Bailey praised Mesoraco's work behind the dish, noting the battery has felt very comfortable together all spring.

"We're really on the same page," Bailey said. "He understands what I'm trying to do right now, and he's really done an excellent job."

AJ Cassavell is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajcassavell. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.